Pulling the Trigger
by stariousfalls
Summary: At this point, Stanford Pines knew it was the only way to defeat Bill. Even though he hadn't gotten along with his brother recently, he still never wanted to be the one to erase his mind. The identity of Stanley Pines would have to be sacrificed to save the world, and Ford could only look away in agony.
_**Word Count:**_ _950~_

 _ **A/N:**_ _This was originally posted on my tumblr, but I decided to post it here as well. :') Though I was rewatching the finale for the millionth time (haha), and the part where Ford pulls out the memory gun and has to erase Stan's memories has been lingering in my mind lately, so I kind of wrote a little drabble over it? Haha. This is based around Ford's point-of-view as he's preparing himself to shoot Stan with the memory erasing gun (it's not in first person, just an fyi)._

 _Hopefully this was written okay, and hope you enjoy reading!_

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 _'What if he goes into_ _ **my**_ _mind? My brain isn't good for anything.'_

Those words lingered inside the mind of Stanford Pines, as he watched his brother approach the one-eyed demon, hand extended and ready to make the deal. The deal _he_ was supposed to make. It was almost funny how much they resembled each other after they switched clothing. Though, in a situation where Dipper and Mabel's (and the rest of the world's) lives were on the line, it was no laughing matter.

Ford broke free from his restraints as soon as the dastardly dream demon entered his brother's mind, briefly hesitant of nearing towards his twin, who immediately falls to their knees unconscious. The deal had been made, and now was the time to make a move.

Ford motioned Dipper and Mabel over, and they obeyed his commands as they wasted no time in getting behind him. As soon as he felt at ease over the kids' safety, he drew in a long, shaky breath as he gracefully pulled Stan's fez off of his head, officially revealing himself.

As much as he wanted to defeat Bill, he never imagined it would come down to this; sacrificing his brother. Even though Stan would most likely survive the procedure, his whole identity would be erased— _lost_. Ford was going to 'lose' his brother in order to save the universe, and he was genuinely both inconsolable and petrified.

Handing Stan's fez over to Mabel, he grimaced as he fumbled with his suit (that he swapped with Stan), and pulled out the memory gun. That's when he heard youthful muffled gasps behind him, obviously baffled when the kids realized their grunkles had switched places. He took a quick glance back at them before raising the gun, and aimed it at his brother's head.

His heart clenched, and his hands grew sweaty as he began to put in his brother's name on the gun: _'Stanley Pines.'_

Ford knew he had the fate of the world on his hands, and in order to save humanity (and more importantly his family); erasing all of his brother's memories was the only option at this point in defeating Bill. But knowing that Stan will never be himself after all of this ensues; there's no doubt in his mind that the guilt will eat him alive for the rest of his life, even though it was Stan himself who proposed the idea, and was willing to take the risk.

If only Ford had tried to make an effort to reconnect with his brother when he was brought back through the portal, then maybe, just _maybe_ all of this Weirdmageddon chaos never would've occurred. He never would have put the kids in danger, he never would have jeopardized the world, and he never would have to erase Stan's memories.

But here he was, at a loss of words; pointing a memory erasing gun at his brother's head, apprehensive and on the verge of breaking down. He drew in a deep breath. He had to keep his composure. _He had to_ , for the sake of his family, and humanity itself.

Though did he have the initiative to pull the trigger? Ford glanced at his brother's face once more, and he knew time was running out before Bill would notice their plan. There was no doubt in Ford's mind that it wouldn't take long for the demon to figure out that he'd entered Stan's mind, not his. Bill was the master of the mind—eventually he would catch on. But the fact that they had a shot of fooling him for at least a moment was all the time they needed to vanquish the demon.

However, he just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. _But he had to_.

 _'Control your fear, Stanford. You need to control it…! You're doing it for the kids. You're doing it for your family. You're doing it for the universe, for God's sake!'_

As much as he told himself to be fearless, he wasn't strong enough to control his fear this time. Sure, he'd been in this position countless times before, but the victim had never been someone of importance to him. Though this time his brother was put on the line, and Stan was willing to sacrifice himself for his family— _for the world_.

For years defeating Bill had been one of Ford's biggest priorities, and hoped he would one day be the one to step up and take him down. He'd always look forward to the moment when he could watch the defeat of demon that deceived him a lifetime ago, and terrorized his dreams days on end since he came back through the portal.

And yet, he couldn't even bear to look at the moment unfold.

While Ford progressively began to lose control of his hold on the gun, he pulled the trigger, clenching his teeth and glancing away with closed eyelids as he released a muffled sob.

 _'I'm so sorry, Stanley…!'_

It didn't seem real. At first he assumed that this was some never-ending nightmare, and he was just going to wake up at any second, and everything would be fine. Though he had to remind himself that this was reality, no matter how much he hated to admit it.

Moments pass and finally, Ford releases the trigger. A sorrowful frown grew across his face while he lowered the gun, eventually letting it slip from his fingers as it hit the ground with a thud. The room then went silent, leaving Ford to drown in anguish and guilt at the loss of his brother, who now lies unaware of his identity, or the hero he had become.

It was done, and _Stanley Pines was_ _ **no more**_.

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 _A/N: And that ends the drabble! Hope you guys enjoyed reading. Favorites, and comments are much appreciated!_


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